Painted Cutouts for Topping Pies

Step 1

1 Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper

Step 2

2 Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough to about 1/4-inch thick

Step 3

3 Using a small cookie cutter or pie stamp, cut as many cutouts out of the dough as you can

Step 4

4 Transfer the cutouts to the prepared baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes

Step 5

5 (You can use the scraps to re-roll up to 2 additional times to get more cutouts

Step 6

6 )

Step 7

7 While the dough chills, position a baking rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees

Step 8

8 In a small bowl, combine a few drops of the food coloring (if you're using gel, you only need about 1/8 teaspoon) and 1 to 2 teaspoons of vodka and, using a small craft paintbrush, mix to combine

Step 9

9 Repeat as desired if you're aiming for multiple colors

Step 10

10 Remove the dough from the refrigerator and uncover

Step 11

11 Using the brush, apply the "paint" to the surface of the pie dough

Step 12

12 Transfer to the oven and bake for 10 to 20 minutes, or until the dough appears golden brown on the base (use a small offset spatula to gently lift the dough to check the bottom); the timing will depend on the size of your cutouts

Step 13

13 Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely

Step 14

14 The cutouts can be used to decorate the top of a cooled pie as desired — or placed on a warm pie just from the oven (in this case, they tend to "stick" to the filling a bit better, which can allow for easier slicing)